What constitutes an X type of guitar for you?

[travisvwright]

I'm pretty loose with the requirements. I've got a 78 Ibanez Artist that I consider an LP type. But I've had some people tell me it's not because it is double cut away, body contours, and 24 frets.

For me LP type is:
1. Set Neck
2. 24.75 scale (or close to it)
3. 2 HBs

For Strat
1. Bolt Neck
2. Double cut away
2. 25.5 scale (or close)
3. 3 pickups

How strict are you? When you say X type what requirements are you picturing? As an example what do you think is an 335 Type, or Tele?

[geekocaster]

I agree with your assessment of types for LP/Strat.
335 type is 2 humbuckers, and a solid block with hollow wings.
Tele is 2 single-coils, 25+ scale, bolty, single-cut

[rspencer]

Whatever it looks most like. It's usually obvious.
Pickup config is taken into account, but not a deal breaker.
A 2 HB SuperStrat is still a Strat.

[chervokas]

I'm pretty loose with the requirements. I've got a 78 Ibanez Artist that I consider an LP type. But I've had some people tell me it's not because it is double cut away, body contours, and 24 frets.

For me LP type is:
1. Set Neck
2. 24.75 scale (or close to it)
3. 2 HBs



I dunno, body and shape actually plays a role in tone since the resonances of the body and neck as as a filter, reinforcing certain frequencies and cancelling others. I think also important to getting a Les Paul sound out of a classic Les Paul type guitar is not only the mahogany body but also the maple cap, a pretty substantial total weight, TOM bridge and separate volume and tone controls for each pickup.

Of course the original Les Paul in 1952 came with P90s and a trapeze tailpiece, so that's a Les too. But body shape, neck shape, body and neck materials, scale length, neck joint, weight, electronics controls, pickups, bridge type and materials -- those are the things that help a type of guitar most sound like that type of guitar even if it's not, in this case, Gibson-made and branded.

[Sweetfinger]

I'm pretty loose with the requirements. ...

For me LP type is:
1. Set Neck
2. 24.75 scale (or close to it)
3. 2 HBs


You've just described just about every guitar Gibson ever made including Vs, 335s, 175s, Barney Kessels, SGs, RD Artists, Modernes, and a bunch of other stuff like B.C. Rich, a Squier Tele Thinline HH I have hanging here in the shop, Epiphone Wilshires, Steinbergers, most Guilds, All Gretsches with Filtertrons, ESP, Schecter, who knows how many more and yet there are tens of thousands of Gibson Les Pauls that would not be included under your criteria. According to you:
These are Les Pauls:
http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2096359/p1_uikvguvau_so.jpghttp://www.guitar-list.com/files/gearpics/1970%20420%20s%202.pnghttp://www.wikizic.org/1-034-034756-Gibson-Futura.jpg

This is not:
http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/thumbs/1956-Gibson-Les-Paul-Goldtop.JPG

I'd tighten up those criteria.
Mine:
Copy of an existing Les Paul model
dimensions excluding scale length within 7% of the model being copied.

[slugworth]

Looking like a Les Paul and sounding like a Les Paul are two totally different things. There are tons of guitars that fit your LP-like criteria, and a lot of them even have single-cut bodies to match.

But modern trends take away a couple of the most important LP characteristics for tone. Most importantly, the big brick of a neck heel that LPs have. Many modern guitars eschew this in favor of upper fret access. But it's a MAJOR factor in tone that gets lost in the process.

And second, independent vol/tone controls for each pickup. The modern guitar industry's embrace of a single volume and single tone for all guitars is IMHO its biggest mistake.

[Brudr]

You've just described just about every guitar Gibson ever made including Vs, 335s, 175s, Barney Kessels, SGs, RD Artists, Modernes, and a bunch of other stuff like B.C. Rich, a Squier Tele Thinline HH I have hanging here in the shop, Epiphone Wilshires, Steinbergers, most Guilds, All Gretsches with Filtertrons, ESP, Schecter, who knows how many more and yet there are tens of thousands of Gibson Les Pauls that would not be included under your criteria. According to you:
These are Les Pauls:
http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2096359/p1_uikvguvau_so.jpghttp://www.guitar-list.com/files/gearpics/1970%20420%20s%202.pnghttp://www.wikizic.org/1-034-034756-Gibson-Futura.jpg

This is not:
http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/thumbs/1956-Gibson-Les-Paul-Goldtop.JPG

I'd tighten up those criteria.
Mine:
Copy of an existing Les Paul model
dimensions excluding scale length within 7% of the model being copied.


THAT is one sweet Corvus!!! :rotflmao

[travisvwright]

You've just described just about every guitar Gibson ever made including Vs, 335s, 175s, Barney Kessels, SGs, RD Artists, Modernes, and a bunch of other stuff like B.C. Rich, a Squier Tele Thinline HH I have hanging here in the shop, Epiphone Wilshires, Steinbergers, most Guilds, All Gretsches with Filtertrons, ESP, Schecter, who knows how many more and yet there are tens of thousands of Gibson Les Pauls that would not be included under your criteria. According to you:
These are Les Pauls:
http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2096359/p1_uikvguvau_so.jpghttp://www.guitar-list.com/files/gearpics/1970%20420%20s%202.pnghttp://www.wikizic.org/1-034-034756-Gibson-Futura.jpg

This is not:
http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/thumbs/1956-Gibson-Les-Paul-Goldtop.JPG

I'd tighten up those criteria.
Mine:
Copy of an existing Les Paul model
dimensions excluding scale length within 7% of the model being copied.Great point. I guess I'd have to add at least Solid body. Probably Mahog with maple Cap. I'm not budging on my 2 HBs though if someone says, "I'm looking for/selling a LP type guitar" a P90 guitar is exculded in general at least IMO.

[dspellman]

Looking like a Les Paul and sounding like a Les Paul are two totally different things. There are tons of guitars that fit your LP-like criteria, and a lot of them even have single-cut bodies to match.

But modern trends take away a couple of the most important LP characteristics for tone. Most importantly, the big brick of a neck heel that LPs have. Many modern guitars eschew this in favor of upper fret access. But it's a MAJOR factor in tone that gets lost in the process.

And second, independent vol/tone controls for each pickup. The modern guitar industry's embrace of a single volume and single tone for all guitars is IMHO its biggest mistake.

I think that a small, thick, dense body is important to the "LP" equation. I have a Moonstone Vulcan from the '70's that has a double cut body done in maple burl. VERY dense. Very much has LP type tone.

I'd put the criteria at Humbuckers, small thick dense body, two humbuckers and 24.75" scale.

The neck heel isn't a factor. Gibson itself has done away with it (the Axcess) with little real effect on the tone. The Ibanez Artist, the Yamaha SG series (the SG2000 and 3000 are neck throughs, the 1000 and below are set necks) haven't suffered because of a smoothed neck heel. Agiles have a mix of neck-through, set neck and even tilted set neck guitars that are all heavy solid body mahogany-based guitars that get it done. That neck heel was one of the first design issues that was righted by a LOT of folks building LP type guitars.

Humbuckers have proven important, but not vital. Obviously the most original Les Pauls have P90s. But I think humbuckers really typify the beast better; and those would be standard size humbuckers rather than the minis or stacked humbuckers. The phase differences caused by the space between the two coils within a standard humbucker make a difference.

The scale is definitely a factor -- that muddy bottom end is caused by a rather too-short scale, and it tends to clean up when you extend the scale.

Independent volume/tone controls I can't agree with. Fact is, a LOT of LP players have dimed the suckers and left them there. Wouldn't know, probably, if they had two or four.

In the end, I think we can all recognize fairly quickly the major guitar types, and they would have to start with the LP type, the 335 type, the strat type. The tele and the SG types are recognizable, the superstrats are recognizable (even the pointy ones) and seem to escape with more general definitions. I'm not even sure that the SG is a type; it's a distinctive body style and that's about it.

[Sweetfinger]

THAT is one sweet Corvus!!! :rotflmao
Not a Corvus. That is a Futura which is essentially a set-neck Corvus with deluxe hardware. More rare and quite delicious. Really gets the eyeballs moving at the blues jam...or any gig, for that matter!